its illegal to unlock your cellphone

Starting Saturday you can face a fine or even jail time if you unlock your cellphone.

Customers who want to use their smartphone they bought from one of the big carriers such as AT&T, Verizon or Sprint, can no longer unlock their phone with software that allows them to switch cellular networks and use the same phone, according to multiple media reports, including ABC News.

The change in the law does offer a grandfather clause for anyone who unlocked their phone prior to Saturday, but those who choose to unlock it now that it's illegal could face thousands of dollars in fines and even jail time if they unlock a phone for commercial purposes.

Unlocking of phones has become popular after Apple Inc.'s popular iPhone has become available on many different carriers in recent years, and unlocked phones using Google's popular Android system have surged in popularity.

The change in the law was actually made by 83-year-old Congressional Librarian James Hadley Billington, according to PCWorld.com. The online tech news site says Billington is responsible for interpreting the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and that he decided in the fall that unlocking phones would violate the law that was intended to fight digital piracy.

The smartphone segment is rapidly growing among business executives, with a surveyconducted by The Business Journals last year revealing that small and midsize business owners are more connected than ever to technology, significantly boosting the time spent on the Internet, their use of social networks, and their adoption of new tech tools.

The survey found that 37 percent of executives used a smartphone or PDA, up from 27 percent in the past year. And their adoption of technology in general has grown. This includes companies all over the Dayton region, including a law firm that outfits all lawyers with iPads.

This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.

His last name definitely suits him that's for sure. This guy just needs to retire already, he's clearly out of the loop when phone companies themselves can unlock it for you, if they approve said unlocking then who are we hurting here? Exactly, no one. This guy just wants to control the way phones work, he's 83 and he hasn't got much longer to live, this may sound harsh and I might get infracted but I hope his time is up soon.

I found this an interesting Blog from my provider, it is an interesting take, and a good read.

What I would like to point out is this:

What’s illegal is circumventing protections against unlocking. In effect, customers of the major mobile carriers can still unlock their phones, but they’ll need their carrier’s express permission to do so.

It's just another way for cell providers to maintain their exclusivity on certain models. Which, if you ask me, is just stupid. I choose my provider based on price of services combined with level of customer service provided, not by the fact that they're the only one to have the newest shiny toy.

I love how big corporations can buy politicians to do whatever they want.

Originally Posted by Gandrake

Because it's like getting a gift from your girlfriend thought would be really special and throwing it out as the first thing to pawn off because you needed to pay bills. This is a gift that is supposed to commemorate your love for the game and is a deeply intimate type of gift.

I love how big corporations can buy politicians to do whatever they want.

almost like it was 110+ years ago(with the big titans of industry carnegie,rockefeller,vanderbilt,j.p.morgan,)....funny how history repeats itself. it will be interesting to see how this move plays out and affects the smartphone industry.

almost like it was 110+ years ago(with the big titans of industry carnegie,rockefeller,vanderbilt,j.p.morgan,)....funny how history repeats itself. it will be interesting to see how this move plays out and affects the smartphone industry.

almost like it was 110+ years ago(with the big titans of industry carnegie,rockefeller,vanderbilt,j.p.morgan,)....funny how history repeats itself. it will be interesting to see how this move plays out and affects the smartphone industry.

Originally Posted by geewhiz80

Great depression aside, how has it changed in the last 100+ years?

Monopolies were broken up and new entrepreneurs like Henry Ford emerged, who paid a working wage, and allowed the market to be more consumer driven. This created one of the most prosperous era's in American history and also coincided with the time period where the middle class grew to the largest it's ever been.

Men who Built America was on last night, apparently I may not have been the only viewer of it.

Btw, unlocking is NOT the same as jailbreaking. The reason why I say this is because it's a misconception that I noticed on other forums discussing this. Jailbreaking your phone is still totally legal.

According to the new law.If you have bought that phone after jan 26 2013 it is illegal to unlock without network provider permission. If you want to make it legal you have to sign a petition in the Link below.https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pet...legal/1g9KhZG7
It has to be done by 23rd of February .To make it legal you need to wait until 1 lakhs petition to be signed in and approved by USA government .
If thats not your case you can very well unlock with the help of online vendors like http://www.onlinegsmunlock.com . lets pin our hope that the petition should be approved.. i just purchased an Iphone 5 and i want to unlock it

Btw, unlocking is NOT the same as jailbreaking. The reason why I say this is because it's a misconception that I noticed on other forums discussing this. Jailbreaking your phone is still totally legal.

Jail breaking is still a foggy subject, because technically you are altering copyrighted computer code.

I don't think it will be long before corporations have more rights and protections than people. You pay $375 to terminate the contract, which the cell phone company agrees is fair for the loss of money for the subsidized phone, and you can't take that same phone to another carrier? Derp.